Markham post office community cornerstone: petition

Markham Economist & Sun

Letter carriers who work out of Main Street Markham’s post office will be moving to Richmond Hill.
The carriers who picked up mail and sorted it at the 21 Main St. North facility will move to a new facility on Brodie Drive in the Hwy. 404 and 16th Avenue area.
But while the employees are getting to keep their jobs, many are still concerned about the loss of the post office in Markham Village.
Cathy Beth, second vice-president of the Scarborough Local Canadian Union of Postal Workers and a full-time letter carrier organized a petition-signing at the Markham post office Wednesday, that included Councillor Colin Campbell as well as a group of seniors.
“A lot of seniors have been the ones actively circulating the petition. It is good giving recognition. It (the post office) is a viable part of the community for them,” Ms Beth said.
Canada Post is considering closing the post office on Main Street North in Markham Village.
“Once these things go, you cannot get them back. That is the fear. It is very difficult to get them back,” Ms Beth said.
A notice in the window at the 21 Main St. North facility suggests the closure is a business decision needed to keep Canada Post viable. It would follow similar post office closures in York Region.
There are nine post offices within 5 km of the location, which is just north of Hwy. 7.
These include Shoppers Drug Mart postal outlets to the east and west on Hwy. 7.
Wednesday’s petition states that the “undersigned, are in direct opposition to the closing of the Markham Post Office Retail Counter. This retail counter is an important cornerstone of our community providing excellent service and convenience to the people of Markham,” it states.
“This publicly owned retail postal counter is an integral part of our community which we wish to preserve. Our public post office plays a key role in our social and economic life by providing the infrastructure that healthy communities need to thrive and businesses need to grow. We believe that the Markham post office is a vital part of our community and should remain open.”
Mr. Campbell said he wants to fight the closure of the Markham Village post office by writing a letter to Canada Post.
He understands there are post offices nearby, but believes Canada Post should consider opening a shop front, basically consisting of just a counter and post office boxes, similar to the postal counter at Shoppers Drug Mart.
A 30-day consultation on the issue ends Nov. 24. Canada Post is gathering feedback from residents and businesses about whether the postal counter meets their needs or needs to be changed.
The post office is still asking for the public’s feedback on the closure. You can visit canadapost.ca/retail or write to Retail Feedback, 2701 Riverside Dr., Suite N1020C, Ottawa, Ont., K1A 0B1. Or, visit Gopetition.com and type in “Markham postal counter”.